1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective garments. More particularly, the invention concerns articles of apparel used to cover the wearer""s extremities such as gloves and socks that contain activated carbon micro-spheres that adsorb hazardous chemical and toxins to which the wearer may be exposed
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various attempts have been made in the past to produce articles of apparel such as gloves and socks that will protect the wearer from hazardous chemicals, chemical vapors and other toxins disposed within the environment to which the wearer is exposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,047 issued to Leach discloses sorbent, internally ribbed carbon-containing material and protective garments fabricated therefrom. The Leach material comprises at least one layer of an activated woven carbon fabric plus a body side, high absorbency rayon layer interposed between at least one woven carbon fabric layer and the wearer""s body. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,144 issued to Economy discloses a quilted fabric suitable for making protective garments that contain high surface area carbon fibers. The Economy quilted fabrics is made by uniting a central layer of flexible activated carbon fibers between a pair of outer layers of reinforcing fabric positioned on each side of the layer of activated flexible carbon fibers with a network of quilting stitching.
While the prior art materials that have been used in the construction of protective garments are generally satisfactory for sorbing toxic chemical vapors and the like, the garments constructed from the carbon containing material, typically exhibit limited stretchability thereby making them less than ideally suited for construction of footwear and gloves. In addition, such prior art garments often tend to be bulky and uncomfortable.
As will be better appreciated from the discussion which follows, the protective garments of the present invention provide, for the first time, gloves and footwear, such as socks, which exhibit comfort and stretchability and, at the same time are highly effective in protecting the wearer from hazardous materials such as chemical vapors, noxious gases and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide protective garments, such as gloves and socks and the method of making the same that are comfortable to wear and at the same time provide a high degree of protection to the user against hazardous exposure to various chemical vapors, and agents including noxious gases.
A particular object of the invention is to provide a protective footwear article of the aforementioned character, which fits well, is pliant and is durable in use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a protective article such as a glove, sock or vest that is easy to don, is comfortable to wear and, at the same time, provides substantial protection to the user against exposure from hazardous chemical vapors.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of making protective garments of the character described in the preceding paragraph that is simple and straight forward, does not require the use of complicated equipment such as sewing and seaming equipment and can be performed by unskilled workmen with a minimum of training.
A particular object of the invention is to provide socks, gloves and vests of the character described in the preceding paragraphs that easy to manufacture and inexpensive to manufacture but are uniquely designed to provide protection against chemical agents.
In one form of the invention, the articles of the invention comprise articles of apparel that are of three-ply construction with the inside and outside plies being knit and the intermediate ply being made from an elastomeric polyurethane film to which a multiplicity of activated carbon micro-spheres have been affixed. The three-plies are uniquely bonded together using a pliant, waterproof adhesive.